🎃 Hacktoberfest 2026: Spooky Open-Source AI Hack Day
Get ready for a spooktacular day of coding, innovation, and open-source contribution! Join us for an official Major League Hacking (MLH) Hacktoberfest Hack Day, themed around Halloween and powered by Open-Source AI (Gemini / Gemma APIs).
Whether you are a beginner looking to make your very first GitHub commit or a tech enthusiast wanting to build an AI-powered project, this interactive hack day is built for you!
📅 Updated Event Details
Date: 1 November 2026 (Halloween Special)
To participate use this link to join:
https://meet.google.com/qap-ycwx-zps
Timing: 09:00 AM – 01:00 PM IST (4-Hour Focused Online Hack Day)
Venue: COMPLETELY ONLINE (Google Meet link will be shared in the WhatsApp Group)
🚀 What Makes This Event Special?
In this single-day event, you will:
Learn & Demystify: Master Git & GitHub basics (Fork, Clone, Commit, and Pull Requests) from scratch.
Build & Innovate: Create lightweight open-source AI tools, Python scripts, or web utilities using modern AI models (Google Gemma, Gemini API).
Contribute & Ship: Raise your very first official Open-Source Pull Request (PR) live on GitHub and contribute to community projects.
Post-Hackathon Interactive Workshop & Live Quiz: Right after the winners are announced, we will host an exclusive interactive workshop followed by a live coding quiz!
🏆 Prizes & Rewards Breakdown
🎁 Top 6 Winners Track:
Top 6 Winners will receive the complete winner package: Official Winner Certificate + Arduino Hardware Kit + Exclusive T-Shirt + Sticker Pack! 🛠️👕📜✨
🧠 Post-Workshop Live Quiz Winners (2 Participants):
Right after the winner announcement, 2 participants will win rewards during our special workshop and live quiz:
🥇 Quiz Winner 1: Exclusive T-Shirt 👕
🥈 Quiz Winner 2: Arduino Hardware Kit 🛠️
✨ For All Participants & Attendees:
Official Digital Certificates: Every active participant will receive an official MLH & Hacktoberfest Digital Certificate.
Stickers: The remaining 40 active student participants will receive exclusive sticker packs!
📍 Important Note Regarding Reward Distribution
⚠️ Mandatory Physical Reward Ceremony:
All physical rewards (Arduino Kits, T-Shirts, and Sticker Packs) will be handed over to winners and quiz champions at a designated offline location.
Note: Group/individual photographs with winners while presenting the physical rewards are mandatory for event documentation and compliance. The exact offline meetup date and venue details will be announced during the online event.
⚠️ Important Guidelines & What To Prepare
AI TOOL for creating your project (claude, Antigravity)
Laptop & Stable Internet: Mandatory for building projects and streaming on Google Meet (Keep a mobile hotspot backup ready).
Pre-created GitHub Account: Make sure you have an active account ready at github.com.
Code of Conduct: All attendees must strictly follow the MLH Code of Conduct to maintain a safe and inclusive environment.
Team Formations: You can join solo or form teams of up to 4 members.
👥 Who Can Attend?
All College / University Students
Beginners in Tech & Coding who want a zero-to-hero GitHub & AI learning curve.
Come for the code, stay for the spooky fun, and win amazing rewards!
👉 Register now
https://events.mlh.com/events/15271-hacktoberfest-hack-day-kanpur-x-gos-community
join our WhatsApp group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/IactxaByiukHHkOnYclIHF?s=cl&p=a&mlu=4&ilr=4
Locations have different requirements for who can attend. This location is open to the following:
09:00 AM – 09:30 AM | Welcome & Orientation
Participant check-in & Google Meet stream setup.
Welcome address, event overview, MLH Code of Conduct briefing, and prompt challenge guidelines.
09:30 AM – 10:15 AM | Open-Source AI & GitHub Workshop
Hands-on session: Git & GitHub fundamentals (Fork, Clone, Commit, PRs).
Quickstart guide: Integrating Gemini API & Google Gemma models in lightweight projects.
10:15 AM – 12:30 PM | Live Hacking & Building Session
Teams / Solo developers build their AI projects or web utilities.
Live Discord/WhatsApp channel support for troubleshooting & code assistance.
Project submission deadline at 12:30 PM.
12:30 PM – 01:15 PM | Project Demos & Judging
Top teams present live 3-minute project demos to the judges.
Project evaluation based on creativity, AI implementation, and utility.
01:15 PM – 01:45 PM | Interactive Workshop & Live Quiz
Special interactive tech session.
Live coding quiz to compete for instant rewards.
01:45 PM – 02:00 PM | Winner Announcement & Closing Ceremony
Official declaration of Top 6 Winners & Quiz Champions.
Information on physical reward presentation ceremony (offline meetup venue details) & digital certificate distribution.
We are a student-led technology community focused on helping students learn, build, and collaborate on software, AI, and open-source projects. We aim to create hands-on learning opportunities through technical workshops, developer events, and community-driven projects.